The holiday season is fast approaching, and for many Eugene residents this means warm food and festive gatherings. For others, it brings concerns about cold and hunger.
This Thanksgiving, hundreds of people who are unable to provide a Thanksgiving for themselves will sit down to a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings at the Eugene Mission.
The Mission, which opened in 1956, provides food, clothing, shelter and a work therapy program to people struggling financially. The Mission has a Christian focus, and volunteers conduct chapel services for residents and guests each evening.
Lynn Antis, the assistant director of the Mission, keeps rough statistics on the number of people who use the facility.
“We have three lodges which offer over three hundred beds, and we provide three meals a day, three hundred and sixty five days a year,” Antis said.
Antis also described the Mission’s plans for Christmas, when volunteers plan to continue the annual tradition of spreading holiday cheer to the residents.
“At Christmas, everyone gets a gift package full of toiletry items, candy and age-appropriate toys for the children,” Antis said.
While the mission offers special meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas, its services extend far beyond the holiday season. Residents at the Mission stay for varying lengths of time depending on their specific situations, and most say the Mission provides a good environment to get back on their feet.
Michael Stolberg, who is currently between jobs, has been staying at the Mission while he looks for work. He likes the safe Christian atmosphere and plans to eat Thanksgiving dinner there this year.
“The Mission provides a chapel, meals and a bed, and expects nothing in return except for a little help with the day-to-day work,” he said.
Many Eugene residents, like University sophomore Corinne Cox, are unaware that the Mission even exists and are astounded by the number of people who use its services every day.
“I’ve never heard of the Eugene Mission, but I think that it’s great that there’s something like this in the community, and it’s amazing that they are able to help so many people on a daily basis,” said Cox, a cultural anthropology major.
The Mission receives most of its funding through private donations, business donations and its newspaper recycling program.
The Mission has many sources of community support, but it can always use extra help in the form of donations of food, clothing and toiletries, especially during the holiday season. Donations can be brought to the Eugene Mission, located at 1542 W. First Ave. in Eugene.
Stolberg, like many others who are grateful for the services the Mission provides, said he feels that it is a real asset to the community.
“It’s a good place for people who have nowhere else to go,” he said.